Concerns and Opposition Surrounding Proposed Administration for Native Americans Transfer

The National Council of American Indians and other organizations are opposing the proposed transfer of programs currently administered by the Agency for Native Americans (ANA) to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They argue that this transfer violates Congressional intent, as stated in the House and Senate reports, that NAP should remain within the Department of Health and Human Services. They also argue that the transfer is being carried out without proper tribal consultation and that it will negate the coordinating role that ANA plays in ensuring Indian participation in other programs administered by the Department. The transfer would also subject the programs to a different bureaucratic system and potentially eliminate grants and contracts to urban tribal groups and non-federally recognized Tribes. The lack of Congressional consultation in the transfer process is also noted as a violation of Congressional intent.